Top 5 Characters – The Wire, Season 2

The second season wasn’t as purely entertaining as the first, but it may have been better. We’ll sort through all that once I finish Round 2 of the whole series. For now, there’s a bunch of new characters vying for a spot in the Top 5.  

5. Ziggy

The first time I watched the season, I found Ziggy mainly annoying. But watching him get more and more frustrated, knowing what’s going to happen to him, made me appreciate how they developed him. This poor kid finally did something “right” with the car heist, but he still got ripped off and laughed at. And that was the final straw.

4. Daniels

Another great season for Daniels, who made a tough career decision despite the pressure from his wife. I particularly enjoyed his negotiations with Burrell and Rawls to put his team together, take the murders, and even rescue poor Jimmy from the boat.

3. Stringer

Stringer is in over his head. He knows how to make the right business decisions, but can’t manage the personal/emotional aspects of the game. Or as Avon said, “This isn’t your business school stuff…this is that other thing.”

2. Frank Sobotka

A good guy who got mixed up with some very bad ones. It was a tough season for the Sobotka family.

1. McNulty

From using the tides to pin the murders on Rawls, to getting “overwhelmed” in the brothel raid, this was the signature McNulty season. And nobody plays drunk like Dominic West.